The Ski Channel will unveil a slate of original ski films as part of a massive US grass roots film tour starting in mid-October. Through long-term exclusive partnerships with the National Ski Council Federation and the National Ski and Snowboard Retailers Association, ski clubs and ski shops around America, The Ski Channel will hold local premieres of the films before they are distributed on the television network. Promoters will have a choice of two full-length feature films and one short film.

“The Story” stars Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Bobby Brown, Willie Bogner, Chris Davenport, Kristi Leskinen, Chris Benchetler, Reggie & Zack Crist, Mike Douglas and numerous other stars of skiing, snowboarding, speed flying, paragliding, river surfing and kite skiing. The film takes viewers into deep character dives with the most famous skiers to the most obscure ski bums as well as to the top of Mount Everest, never before skied steeps in Alaska and various gut-wrenching variations on human flight.

Teaser for “The Story”

A full-length documentary on skiing’s greatest rebel and cult hero, Bill Johnson has also been produced. The definitive sports Greek Tragedy, Johnson’s story starts with his Ali-like claim that everyone else was racing for second. The “nose picker” as Austrian downhill ski legend Franz Klammer called him, made good on his bet as he struck gold in Sarajevo at the downhill in the 1984 Winter Olympics. Two more World Cup victories followed shortly after and Johnson was the world’s greatest downhiller…

“And then it was gone,” said Olympic gold medalist Phil Mahre of Johnson’s life. The documentary follows Johnson through the story of trying to win back his family and his life.